An agricultural ground working implement is provided with a first ground working unit and a second ground working unit that follows the first ground working unit. A row cleaner is assigned to the portion of the soil upon which the second ground working unit acts. The row cleaner extends rearwardly from the first ground working unit.

Patent
   6834598
Priority
Jun 28 2000
Filed
Jun 24 2002
Issued
Dec 28 2004
Expiry
Jun 28 2020
Assg.orig
Entity
Large
70
16
EXPIRED
1. Agricultural ground working implement comprising:
a frame;
a first ground working unit having ground working elements, the first ground working unit being directly mounted to the frame;
a second ground working unit having ground working elements, the second ground working unit being directly mounted to the frame, the second ground working unit follows the first ground working unit, the second ground working unit is laterally offset from the first ground working unit; and
a row cleaner for clearing debris from the soil upon which the second ground working unit acts, wherein the row cleaner is directly mounted on the first ground working unit, the row cleaner extends rewardly from the first ground working unit, the first ground working unit is provided with a carrying arm which is pivotally mounted to a carrier on the frame, the row cleaner is mounted to the carrying arm by a connecting support.
2. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 1 wherein the connecting support is mounted to a support which is mounted to the carrying arm, the ground working elements of the first ground working unit being mounted to the support.
3. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 2 wherein the connecting support is pivotally mounted to the support so that it can be pivoted about a transverse axis relative to the carrying arm.
4. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 3 wherein the row cleaner is biased downwardly into contact with the soil by a spring.
5. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 4 wherein the spring is supported on the connecting support, the spring having a first end supported on the carrying arm and a second end supported on the support.
6. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 5 wherein the row cleaner can be raised together with the first ground working unit.
7. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 6 wherein a plate extending from the connecting support produces a connection between the connecting support and the first ground working unit when the first ground working unit is raised.
8. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 7 wherein another row cleaner is located in front of the first ground working unit for clearing debris from the soil upon which the first ground working unit acts.
9. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 8 wherein the another row cleaner is mounted on the first ground working unit.
10. Agricultural ground working implement as defined by claim 9 wherein the first and second ground working units comprise sowing unit having a furrow opener for forming a furrow in the soil.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/605,245, filed Jun. 28, 2000, now abandoned.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to an agricultural ground working implement comprising a first ground working unit and a second ground working unit following the first ground working unit, wherein a row cleaner for the second ground working unit is mounted to the first ground working unit.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Row cleaners are used for cleaning refuse, e.g., straw or the like, from the soil surface lying directly in front of the working area of a ground working unit. These ground working units may be sowing units and/or fertilizing units.

European Patent EP 894 426 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,754 describe a row cleaner of this type which is arranged on the arm of a sowing unit--which connects the sowing unit to a carrier--in such a position that it leads the sowing unit. A complicated holding arrangement in the form of a parallelogram is used for this purpose.

Another row cleaner is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,331, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,550, French Patent 1 576 504 and EP 453 420 A. In this case, the row cleaner is separately mounted on a frame of the sowing machine (such that it leads a sowing unit). However, this arrangement results in a disadvantageous elongation of the entire arrangement.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact and simple holding arrangement for a row cleaner.

Two ground working units are mounted to an implement and are arranged one behind the other in a fore/aft or longitudinal direction. The first ground working unit is mounted in front of the second ground working unit. The two ground working units are laterally offset relative to one another. The row cleaner of the second ground working unit is mounted to the first ground working unit. The second ground working unit row cleaner removes possible obstacles, e.g., refuse, straw, etc., from the soil region directly in front of the second ground working unit.

In the preferred embodiment, the row cleaner extends rearwardly from the first ground working unit. As such, the holding arrangement for the second ground working unit row cleaner can be designed significantly simpler and consequently less expensive than the holding arrangements having provisions for row cleaners. Thereby resulting in a relatively compact design.

It is also possible to mount the row cleaner to the first ground working unit so that it extends forwardly from the first ground working unit, since the second ground working unit is laterally offset from the first ground working unit. However, it would be more advantageous to arrange the row cleaner for the second ground working unit such that it extends rearwardly from the first ground working unit.

The row cleaner for the second ground working unit is either directly or indirectly mounted on a carrying arm of the first ground working unit by means of a connecting support. The carrying arm conventionally supports the first ground working unit and (usually indirectly) the corresponding ground working elements--e.g., furrow openers, press wheels, and/or sowing ploughshares. The carrying arm is pivotally mounted to a carrier which in turn is pivotally mounted to the frame of the implement. The connecting support is directly mounted on the carrying arm if a direct mounting is chosen; if an indirect mounting is chosen, the connecting support can be mounted on a support that is connected to the carrying arm. This support preferably also serves for fixing ground working units.

The row cleaner is usually flexibly mounted to the ground working unit, so that it can move vertically when it encounters an obstacle. To that end the carrying arm is pivotally mounted to the connecting support such that the carrying arm can be pivoted about a transverse axis.

The carrying arm and row cleaner may be biased downwardly towards the soil with only its weight. However, a spring extending between the carrying arm and connecting support may supplement the weight of the carrying arm and row cleaner to increase the biasing force. In this case, a variable spring force is preferred, with this variable spring force being realized by arranging one end of the spring at different points.

It may also be desirable to design the row cleaner such that it can be raised together with the first ground working unit. For this purpose, the ground working unit is mounted to a rotatable carrier. The rotation of the carrier causes the ground working unit as well as the row cleaner to be raised.

A connecting support that is rigidly connected to the ground working unit could be utilized for raising the row cleaner together with the ground working unit. However, such a connecting support proved disadvantageous during the operation of the ground working implement. In the preferred embodiment a plate is connected to the connecting support and (only) contacts an element of the ground working unit during the lifting motion, with the plate causing the connecting support to be raised together with the row cleaner. However, a plate that is arranged on an arbitrary element of the ground working unit and respectively contacts the row cleaner or the connecting support during the lifting motion would also be conceivable.

It is also practical to provide a row cleaner for the front ground working unit of the implement. This row cleaner can be conventionally arranged on the front ground working unit such that it extends forwardly from the unit.

FIG. 1, is a side view of a front sowing unit of a sowing implement with a row cleaner for a following sowing unit, not shown.

FIG. 2, a top view of the sowing unit shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3, a rear view of the sowing machine.

FIG. 4, a schematic side view of the sowing machine.

The sowing machine which is described below as an example of an agricultural ground working implement serves for distributing seeds and/or fertilizers, and may be utilized on prepared soil as well as for direct seeding and mulch seeding.

Among other things, the sowing machine contains a carrier 12 that is connected to a frame 72 (see FIG. 4). The carrier 12 carries several ground working units in the form of sowing units 10, one of which is illustrated in FIG. 1. The ground working unit 10 is provided with at least one holding arrangement 30 for a row cleaner 32. The sowing machine usually contains several sowing units 10, typically, 6,8,10 or 12 sowing units are provided.

The carrier 12 comprises a rectangular tube and mounted to the underside of frame 72 by bearings, not shown. By pivoting the carrier 12, the sowing units 10 can be pivoted between an operative position in contact with the soil and an inoperative position not in contact with the soil. The carrier 12 usually extends over the width of the frame 72 and is able to accommodate a number of identical sowing units 10.

The sowing unit 10 itself is relatively conventional and comprises mounting bracket 40, a carrying arm 42, a furrow opener 16, a depth adjustment wheel 22, a sowing ploughshare 14, a press wheel 18, a closing wheel 20 and a pressure unit 24 (see FIG. 3). U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,727,638, 5,970,892 and 6,135,037 disclose corresponding sowing units 10 and these publications are incorporated herein by reference.

The mounting bracket 40 is clamped onto the carrier 12 such that it is unable to rotate relative to the carrier 12. The bracket 40 comprises two parts and can be clamped onto the carrier 12 at an arbitrary lateral location. The carrying arm 42 extends downwardly and rearwardly from the carrier 12. The carrying arm is mounted to a carrying arm bearing 44 on the mounting bracket 40. The carrying arm bearing allows the sowing unit 10 to pivot relative to the mounting bracket 40 in a vertical manner. The furrow opener 16 is rotatably connected to end of the carrying arm 42 remote from the carrying arm bearing 44. During operation, the sowing unit 10 is moved over the ground from the right toward the left. A support 46 branches off upwardly and rearwardly from the carrying arm 42.

The furrow opener 16 comprises a disk that penetrates into the soil. The disc is slightly inclined relative to the driving direction and produces a furrow for receiving seeds. When encountering an obstacle, the furrow opener 16 is able to move upwardly together with the carrying arm 42 about the carrying arm bearing 44. To move upwardly the disc and carrying arm to which it is rotatively attached must overcome the downward biasing force of the pressure unit 24. The pressure unit 24 comprises a spring 26 arranged between the mounting bracket 40 and the support 46. The rotatable depth adjustment wheel 22 is arranged laterally adjacent to the furrow opener 16, and serves for adjusting the depth of the furrow produced in the soil by the furrow opener 16.

The sowing ploughshare 14 is situated within the shadow region of the furrow opener 16 and is rigidly connected to the carrying arm 42 in such a way that it ends underneath the surface of the soil. The input side of the sowing ploughshare 14 is connected to a tube for receiving seeds from a seed container of the sowing machine.

The disk-shaped press wheel 18 and the disk-shaped closing wheel 20 are respectively connected to the support 46 in a pivoted and spring-loaded fashion by means of holders 48 and 50 (see FIG. 2). The press wheel 18 presses the deposited seeds into the furrow that was opened by the furrow opener 16. The closing wheel is inclined in such a way that it collapses one wall of the furrow thereby covering the seed with soil. Alternatively (or additionally) to the press wheel 18, it would also be conceivable to utilize an additional closing wheel or a concave disk that also opens a furrow into which the fertilizer and/or the seeds is/are deposited by means of a corresponding ploughshare. The spring force, with which the press wheel 18 and the closing wheel 20 act upon the soil, can be varied by selecting the bearing points for the corresponding spring.

The pressure unit 24 contains a spring 26 and a displacement limiter which respectively engage the mounting bracket 40 on a pressure unit bearing 28 and on the support 46 with the other end. The spring 26 conventionally presses the carrying arm 42 against the soil such that the furrow opener 16 penetrates into the soil and produces a furrow.

According to the invention, a row cleaner 32 is arranged on the trailing end of the sowing unit 10. This row cleaner 32 is provided with a serrated gear tooth type edge that cleans the soil of refuse, e.g., mulch, straw, leaves, etc. for a second sowing unit 10' that follows the first sowing unit. The row cleaner 32 is connected to the support 46 by means of a holding arrangement 30. The holding arrangement 30 is pivotally mounted on the support 46 such that it can be pivoted about a transverse axis. In addition, the holding arrangement 30 can be biased downwardly by means of a spring 33 so that the row cleaner 32 acts upon the soil with a defined force. The row cleaner 32 is shaped like a disc and is rotatively mounted to the holding arrangement 30. The row cleaner disc is laterally inclined.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a plate 34 extends above the holder 50 of the closing wheel 20 and is arranged on the upper side of the holding arrangement 30. If the sowing unit 10 is moved into its inoperative position, i.e., lifted upward, due to a rotation of the carrier 12, the holding arrangement 30 of the row cleaner 32 is also pivoted by the holder 50 of the closing wheel 20 contacting plate 34. However, the holder 50 and the plate 34 are not in contact with one another in the operative position of the sowing unit 10.

The plate 34 has been omitted from FIG. 3 to provide a better overview. The sowing machine contains first sowing units 10 that are mounted on a first carrier 12. Two of these sowing units are shown in FIG. 3. The second sowing units 10' are mounted on a second career 12'. The second sowing units 10 are laterally offset from the first sowing units 10 and do not follow the same track as the first sowing units 10. The row cleaners 32 of the first sowing units 10 clean the soil of refuse and the like within the region to be traveled by the following second sowing units 10'. It should be mentioned that the respectively last sowing units 10 viewed in the forward moving direction of the sowing machine are not equipped with a row cleaner 32 because no sowing units 10 follow the last sowing units. This means that third sowing units follow the second sowing units 10' shown in FIG. 3. The first sowing units 10 of the sowing machine viewed in the forward moving direction may be equipped with conventional row cleaners that are arranged on the leading end of the sowing unit 10, e.g., as described in EP 894 426 A.

The general design of a corresponding sowing machine 60 is shown in FIG. 4. The sowing machine 60 contains a frame 72 that is supported on the soil by wheels 62 and moved over a field by a towing vehicle, in particular, a field tractor, with the aid of a hitch 66 or another suitable towing mechanism (namely from the right to the left in FIG. 4). A seed container 68 that is connected to the sowing ploughshares 14 is situated on the frame 72. The first sowing unit 10 is equipped with a leading row cleaner 70 that may be constructed as described in EP 894 426 A, and cleans the soil region to be processed by the first sowing unit 10 of refuse, e.g., straw, etc. In other respects, the first sowing unit 10 corresponds to the sowing unit 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3. The second sowing unit 10' which follows the first sowing unit 10 does not contain a row cleaner 32 since the soil region to be processed by this sowing unit was already cleaned by the row cleaner 32 mounted on the first sowing unit 10 and no additional sowing units follow the second sowing unit.

The present invention should not be limited by the above described embodiments, but should be limited solely by the claims that follow:

Jüptner, Detlef

Patent Priority Assignee Title
10238024, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Row unit for agricultural implement
10251324, Jul 01 2011 Agricultural field preparation device
10251333, Nov 07 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural system
10433472, Feb 05 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural system for field preparation
10443631, Jul 25 2012 Precision Planting LLC Integrated implement downforce control systems, methods, and apparatus
10444774, Nov 07 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural system
10477752, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Row unit for agricultural implement
10477760, Dec 28 2015 Underground Agriculture, LLC Agricultural organic device for weed control
10485153, Feb 21 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Modular autonomous farm vehicle
10506755, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural systems
10548260, May 04 2017 Dawn Equipment Company System for automatically setting the set point of a planter automatic down pressure control system with a seed furrow sidewall compaction measurement device
10582653, Nov 07 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural planting system with automatic depth control
10645865, May 04 2017 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural row unit with automatic control system for furrow closing device
10653053, Nov 15 2011 CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd. System for applying down pressure in a coulter assembly
10721855, Feb 05 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural system for field preparation
10806064, Jul 01 2011 Agricultural field preparation device
10834863, Aug 05 2011 Precision Planting LLC Apparatus, systems and methods for row unit downforce control
10980174, Dec 28 2015 Underground Agriculture, LLC Agricultural mowing device
11006563, May 04 2017 Dawn Equipment Company Seed firming device for improving seed to soil contact in a planter furrow with feature designed to prevent the buildup of soil on the outer surfaces by discharging pressurized fluid
11083134, Dec 28 2015 Underground Agriculture, LLC Agricultural inter-row mowing device
11122726, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural systems
11197411, Nov 07 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural planting system with automatic depth control
11375653, Jul 01 2011 Agricultural field preparation device
11470754, Feb 04 2013 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural systems
7451712, May 12 2004 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural tillage device
7665539, May 12 2004 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural tillage device
7743718, Jul 24 2007 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural tillage device
7946231, Jul 03 2008 Single arm row cleaner
8151717, Jul 24 2007 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural tillage device
8327780, Oct 16 2009 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural implement having fluid delivery features
8356564, Oct 23 2007 Vaderstad LLC Agricultural seeder implement
8359988, Jul 24 2007 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural tillage device
8544397, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Row unit for agricultural implement
8544398, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Hydraulic down pressure control system for closing wheels of an agricultural implement
8636077, May 22 2012 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural tool with structural housing for hydraulic actuator
8763713, Jan 27 2012 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural implement with automatic down pressure control
8770308, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Row unit for agricultural implement
8776702, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Hydraulic down pressure control system for an agricultural implement
8863857, Feb 23 2011 Dawn Equipment Company Row unit for agricultural implement
8910581, Jul 25 2012 Dawn Equipment Company Side dressing fertilizer coulter
8919267, Oct 23 2007 Vaderstad LLC Agricultural seeder implement
8985232, Aug 20 2012 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus for sensing and providing feedback of soil property changes in real time
8985234, Nov 15 2011 CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd System for applying down pressure in a coulter assembly
9055712, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus with integrated controller for a row unit
9107337, Aug 20 2012 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus for sensing and providing feedback of soil property changes in real time
9107338, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural systems
9113589, Aug 20 2012 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus for sensing and providing feedback of soil property changes in real time
9144187, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus with hydraulic cylinder and manifold for a row unit
9144189, Jul 25 2012 Precision Planting LLC Integrated implement downforce control systems, methods, and apparatus
9167740, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Row unit for agricultural implement
9192089, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Row unit for agricultural implement
9192091, Feb 01 2013 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus with hybrid single-disk, double-disk coulter arrangement
9215838, Feb 01 2013 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus with hybrid single-disk, double-disk coulter arrangement
9215839, Feb 01 2013 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus with hybrid single-disk, double-disk coulter arrangement
9226440, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus with hydraulic cylinder and manifold for a row unit
9232687, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural systems
9241438, Feb 05 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural system for field preparation
9271437, Jul 01 2011 Agricultural field preparation device
9288937, Aug 05 2011 Precision Planting LLC Apparatus, systems and methods for row unit downforce control
9504198, Jul 01 2011 Crimping device for agricultural field preparation
9615497, Feb 21 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Modular autonomous farm vehicle
9668398, Feb 05 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural system for field preparation
9723778, Nov 07 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural system
9746007, Jul 25 2012 Precision Planting LLC Integrated implement downforce control systems, methods, and apparatus
9750176, Aug 07 2014 BLUE LEAF I P , INC Closing system for an agricultural implement
9788472, Sep 15 2010 Dawn Equipment Company Row unit for agricultural implement
9848522, Nov 07 2014 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural system
9861022, Feb 01 2013 Dawn Equipment Company Agricultural apparatus with hybrid single-disk, double-disk coulter arrangement
9955622, Nov 15 2011 CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd. System for applying down pressure in a coulter assembly
RE45091, Dec 01 2008 Dawn Equipment Company Row-clearing unit for agricultural implement
Patent Priority Assignee Title
4377979, Mar 31 1981 Hiniker Company Conservation tillage row crop planter system
4785890, Sep 10 1986 DEERE & CO , A CORP OF DE Ground-driven rotary row cleaner
5341754, Apr 03 1992 Farmer's Factory Co. Rotary row cleaner for a planter
5349911, Dec 06 1991 UNVERFERTH MANUFACTURING CO ,INC Assembly used in farm implements to clear mulch for minimum tillage
5461995, Feb 25 1994 Dean A., Winterton; Paw Paw Farmer's Factory Co. Rotary row cleaner with reversible spring
5477792, Jul 27 1993 Dawn Equipment Company Apparatus for preparing soil for seed and method of using the apparatus
5507351, Jan 25 1994 Cleaner for tined wheels
5542362, Aug 05 1992 Dawn Equipment Company Apparatus for continuously planting seed and applying a soil additive
5640914, Apr 05 1995 UNVERFERTH MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC Debris manipulating and clearing assembly for clearing crop residue from soil
5660126, Jan 19 1994 Agricommunication and Technology, Inc. Method and apparatus for no-till planting
5697455, Jun 13 1996 Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. Adjustment mechanism for row unit accessory
5704430, May 03 1995 UNVERFERTH MANUFACTURING CO ,INC Ground driven row cleaning apparatus
5970892, Jul 30 1997 Deere & Company Trash cleaning structure for a furrow opening device
6135037, Aug 17 1998 Deere & Company Lifting mechanism for a seeding machine row cleaner
6223663, Nov 06 1997 Deere & Company Trash cleaning structure for a furrow opening device
6253692, Feb 24 1999 Deere & Company Row cleaner suspension
/
Executed onAssignorAssigneeConveyanceFrameReelDoc
Jun 24 2002Deere & Company(assignment on the face of the patent)
Date Maintenance Fee Events
Jun 30 2008M1551: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 4th Year, Large Entity.
Jul 07 2008REM: Maintenance Fee Reminder Mailed.
Jun 28 2012M1552: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 8th Year, Large Entity.
Aug 05 2016REM: Maintenance Fee Reminder Mailed.
Dec 28 2016EXP: Patent Expired for Failure to Pay Maintenance Fees.


Date Maintenance Schedule
Dec 28 20074 years fee payment window open
Jun 28 20086 months grace period start (w surcharge)
Dec 28 2008patent expiry (for year 4)
Dec 28 20102 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4)
Dec 28 20118 years fee payment window open
Jun 28 20126 months grace period start (w surcharge)
Dec 28 2012patent expiry (for year 8)
Dec 28 20142 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8)
Dec 28 201512 years fee payment window open
Jun 28 20166 months grace period start (w surcharge)
Dec 28 2016patent expiry (for year 12)
Dec 28 20182 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12)